Get those overripe bananas and try something new, like these Chamoru banana donuts also known as Buñelos Åga (boo-nyeh-los awh-gah). Made with a sweet banana batter, deep fried, topped with powdered sugar, and served with a side of maple syrup. It's a popular snack in Guam and the best banana donut recipe you'll ever try!
The sweet and delightful Chamoru banana donuts are a popular snack and dessert in Guam. They're sold at various places across the island! From small local shops to high-end hotel buffets. No matter where you choose to indulge in these treats, you can rest assured that they will be delicious. It's a scrumptious little treat that you will not want to miss.
If you want an idea of what it tastes like, imagine fried banana bread, but less cakey. But, if you’re looking for something savory, you’ll want to try out my vegan Chamoru “shrimp” patties.
✨Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple and easy recipe. These Chamoru banana donuts are so easy to whip up and fry right at home.
- Made with pantry staples ingredients. All these ingredients you should be able to find in your kitchen or pantry!
- You get a taste of Guam right in your own home.
✏️Ingredient Notes
- Overripe bananas - The main star of this recipe. You’ll need about 2-3 bananas depending on how big they are.
- Vanilla extract and ground cinnamon - Combining these two will add extra flavor to the batter.
- Baking powder - The key to giving this banana donuts its lift and fluffiness.
- Powdered sugar - Added at the end to give it a touch of added sweetness.
- Maple syrup - Chamoru banana donuts are usually dipped in maple syrup. Odd? I know, but it tastes good.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
🍴How to Make Chamoru Banana Donuts
Top Tip: Use a food scale to weigh out the ingredients. That way, you'll only need one or two bowls, and you won't have to wash a bunch of measuring cups!
Step 1: Mash the overripe bananas in a large bowl until smooth. Then, add the vanilla extract and sugar. Mix well to combine.
Step 2: Next, fold in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt until there are no pockets of dry flour left.
Step 3: Fill a medium-sized saucepan with 4-inches of oil. With a food thermometer, heat the oil until it has reached 375° Fahrenheit. Then fry 4-5 scoops of batter at a time.
Step 4: Fry for 2 minutes and 30 seconds on each side, or a total of 5 minutes. The banana donuts should be a deep golden brown.
Step 5: With a spider strainer, remove the Chamoru banana donuts from the oil. Place them on the wire cooling rack to allow excess oil to drain off. Repeat with the remaining batter. Allow the donuts to cool before serving.
Step 6: Dust some powdered sugar over top and serve it with a side of maple syrup.
⭐Expert Tips
- Be careful with hot oil. This recipe requires you to deep-fry, so you’ll want to be extra careful when cooking with hot oil. Gently drop the batter close to the oil to reduce any chance of splashing.
- Use a food thermometer. You’ll want to keep your oil at a stable 375° Fahrenheit. This will help gauge how hot your oil is and how to adjust your heat.
- An alternative way to check oil temperature. Take one end of a wooden skewer (not a toothpick) or a wooden spoon and dip it in the oil. If bubbles are forming around it and they float up, your oil is ready, if it's bubbling vigorously, it's too hot.
- Use a wire rack with a rimmed baking sheet underneath to drain out any excess oil! This will keep the vegan Chamoru shrimp patties from sitting in oil and keep them crispy for longer.
💭Common Questions
I have not tried it myself, but it's important to note that the batter is quite runny, almost like pancake batter. If you divide the batter into silicone cupcake liners, it may be possible to cook it that way. I can't guarantee the outcome or if it will taste the same, but if you decide to try it, please let me know how it turns out!
I have not tried it myself, but you could try using a 1:1 gluten-free flour. But, I can’t guarantee the outcome. If you decide to try it, please let me know how it turns out!
It’s not a normal thing to add nuts or chocolate chips to the batter. This is a fried batter, and adding anything else could risk a type of reaction with the oil. So for safety reasons, I would not add anything else.
🍌How to Serve
Serve these vegan Chamoru banana donuts with a dusting of powdered sugar over top, and with a side of maple syrup for dipping. Maple syrup and these banana donuts are a great combination of flavors, I highly recommend trying it out!
🥣Storage & Reheating
- If you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- If you want to keep their crispiness, you can reheat them in the oven at 400° Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them to prevent them from burning. Alternatively, you can microwave them.
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️ rating and comment below! Tag @flouredframe on Instagram & Facebook!
📖 Recipe
Chamoru Banana Donuts (Buñelos Åga)
Equipment
- Medium-mixing bowl
- Rubber spatula
- Food thermometer optional
- Large pot
- Small cookie scoop
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 277 grams Overripe bananas (mashed)
- 192 grams All-purpose flour
- 115 grams Granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Maple syrup to dip
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Mash the overripe bananas in a large bowl until smooth. Then, add the vanilla extract and sugar. Mix well to combine.
- Next, fold in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt until there are no pockets of dry flour left.
- Fill a medium-sized saucepan with 4-inches of oil. With a food thermometer, heat the oil until it has reached 375° Fahrenheit. Then fry 4-5 scoops of batter at a time.
- Fry for 2 minutes and 30 seconds on each side, or a total of 5 minutes. The banana donuts should be a deep golden brown.
- With a spider strainer, remove the Chamoru banana donuts from the oil. Place them on the wire cooling rack to allow excess oil to drain off. Repeat with the remaining batter. Allow the donuts to cool before serving.
- Dust some powdered sugar over top and serve it with a side of maple syrup.
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly. I test my recipes, 100% in grams. A common reason baked goods fail is incorrectly measured flour. I always recommend using a scale for accuracy when baking. This greatly improves your chance for success and lessens room for error.
- An alternative way to check oil temperature. Take one end of a wooden skewer (not a toothpick) or a wooden spoon and dip it in the oil. If bubbles are forming around it and they float up, your oil is ready, if it's bubbling vigorously, it's too hot. This method doesn’t guarantee an accurate reading.
- You may have to adjust the heat to keep it at the right temperature.
- If you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- If you want to keep their crispiness, you can reheat them in the oven at 400° Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them to prevent them from burning. Alternatively, you can microwave them.
- This recipe is specifically designed for deep frying. If you decide to try cooking it in an air fryer, please let me know how it turns out!
Jackie says
I tried your recipe & it tasted really good but the texture came out really dense…it was missing something. I think milk or some kind of liquid.
Floured Frame says
Hi there, sorry to hear that. Traditional Buñelos Åga recipes normally do not have milk in them. They rely on the mashed bananas for that.
If you try this recipe again add more mashed banana, or if you really want to add milk, you can add a couple of tablespoons.
The only other factor that I can see is that you probably added too much flour to the batter. Cup measurements are unfortunately never accurate, and you could be adding way more extra flour than intended. Here are my tips to measure flour in cups:
- fluff the flour in the container before you measure (flour gets compacted the longer it sits in the pantry, this causes most recipes to fail because the flour is compacted thus you end up adding more flour than normal. Fluffing it will help aerate it.)
- Spoon the flour into your measuring cup until it overflows (don't use the actual measuring cup to spoon the flour from)
- Use the back of a butter knife to level it off
Hope this helps!
Diaunna says
First time making this and it turned out amazing!!! I used 9 extremely ripe bananas and measured the flour and sugar using a scale. It’s sweet enough that I don’t mind eating it alone ???? my family will be happy when they come home to this treat! Thank you for the recipe!
Floured Frame says
Yay, I'm glad that you enjoyed making this recipes, it's one of my favorites! 🙂
Des says
Hi! In Palau we use a certain kind of bananas when making fried bananas and banana lumpia- was wondering if this recipe calls for a certain kind or if regular bananas are what you use?
Floured Frame says
Hi, you can use normal eating bananas (Cavendish Bananas), as they are sweeter than the saba bananas you use for making banana lumpia.
Chamorrita Larson says
Hi Keisha! I have made your Buñelos Åga recipe several times and it’s my favorite! I went to the recipe link today and the actual recipe/measurements are missing from your blog post. Is there a new location to find it? Thank you so much! -Chamorrita
Floured Frame says
I apologize, I'm working on some back end stuff on my website and for some reason some of the recipe cards didn't sync over. It's up now!
Norma says
I tried the half recipe using can pumpkin puree (it was leftover from another recipe) and it turned out perfect! because I used pumpkin, I added pumpkin spice too. I loved that it had a crunch when cooled! thank you!!
Floured Frame says
I never thought to make a pumpkin spice version of Bunelos! That's genius and perfect for fall! I'm so glad it turned out great. I gotta try it now, it sounds so good!